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The differences between sales engineers and directors of technical sales can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a sales engineer, becoming a director of technical sales takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a director of technical sales has an average salary of $96,380, which is higher than the $93,727 average annual salary of a sales engineer.
The top three skills for a sales engineer include pre sales, customer service and sales process. The most important skills for a director of technical sales are CRM, cloud, and sales process.
| Sales Engineer | Director Of Technical Sales | |
| Yearly salary | $93,727 | $96,380 |
| Hourly rate | $45.06 | $46.34 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 132,324 | 161,516 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 8 |
A sales engineer is responsible for assisting customers with their technical equipment and advanced scientific product needs. Sales engineers must have excellent knowledge of the scientific processes and component functions of the products they're selling to deliver presentations and orient the customers. Sales engineers' duties also include troubleshooting, identifying product defects, and upgrading systems for better optimization. They are also responsible for analyzing cost estimates documents, performing adjustments as needed, process payments, arranging deliveries, and settling customers' complaints by replacing damaged items or doing refunds.
A director of technical sales oversees and directs an organization's sales operations, aiming for profit growth and optimal services. Their duties usually entail setting goals and product roadmaps, establishing sales strategies, developing sales programs and marketing projects, and conducting research to find business and client opportunities. They may also participate in securing deals with key clients and business partners, developing sales forecasts, and recruiting employees. Moreover, as a director of technical sales, it is essential to lead and empower staff to reach goals while implementing company standards and policies.
Sales engineers and directors of technical sales have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Engineer | Director Of Technical Sales | |
| Average salary | $93,727 | $96,380 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $132,000 | Between $64,000 And $143,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Wonderful Company |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a sales engineer and a director of technical sales in terms of educational background:
| Sales Engineer | Director Of Technical Sales | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between sales engineers' and directors of technical sales' demographics:
| Sales Engineer | Director Of Technical Sales | |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.1% Female, 9.9% | Male, 86.5% Female, 13.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.7% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 7.1% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |